Violence

Project brings higher level of domestic violence expertise to child abuse cases

October 15, 2009 -- FORT LAUDERDALE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist, in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, today applauded Florida’s Child Protective Investigator (CPI) project during a visit to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. The project, which teams child abuse investigators with domestic violence victim advocates, enhances services to families with children who are impacted by domestic violence.    » read more »

October 2, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, submitted the following statement at yesterday’s Committee hearing concerning the global costs and consequences of violence against women.

“For too long, women have gotten short shrift in development and foreign policy. Women’s rights, women’s health, and violence against women have a history as being designated and denigrated as “soft” issues,” said Dodd. “The unassailable truth, however, is that promoting women’s rights, women’s health, and women’s empowerment are not simply idealistic, moral goals. Rather, they are some of our most effective tools in achieving America’s key foreign policy goals and meeting our most difficult challenges.”    » read more »

September 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice has released over $3 million to help New Mexico combat violent crimes against women. The funds come from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women.

"The funds awarded today to New Mexico will enhance efforts to combat this serious problem," Bingaman said.

Funding was awarded to the following:

New Mexico Crime Victims Reparation Commission - $1.13 million: Funding will help the commission implement a variety of activities aimed at strengthening the justice system's response to violent crimes committed against women.    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- Washington D.C. -- According to the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report released today, the nation experienced a 2.5 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes and a 1.6 percent decline in the number of property crimes for 2008 compared with data from 2007. The report is based on information that the FBI gathered from 12,750 law enforcement agencies that submitted six to 12 comparable months of data to the FBI for both 2007 and 2008.

Violent Crime

* In 2008, all four of the violent crime offense categories declined nationwide compared with data from 2007. Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter declined 4.4 percent, aggravated assault was down 3.2 percent, forcible rape decreased 2.2 percent, and robbery decreased 1.1 percent.    » read more »

05/29/2009 -- Building on his commitment to combat gang violence and protect public safety, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined law enforcement officials in Salinas to highlight California’s Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (CalGRIP) funding and to announce the first-ever “Gifts for Guns” program in the area, modeled after the program created by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.    » read more »

05/28/2009 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today vetoed House Bill 962, which would permit the possession of firearms in Tennessee restaurants and bars. Law enforcement officials and district attorneys from across the state flanked Bredesen as he spoke about his reasons for the veto.

"Let me be very clear: I am a strong supporter of the right to keep and bear arms. I am, and have always been, committed to preserving the rights of the Second Amendment: basic American rights. These rights are protected by the United States Constitution and the Tennessee Constitution as well," Bredesen said.    » read more »

Legislation Would Ensure Gun Dealer Employees Have Passed Background Checks and Prevent Ineligible Gun Owners from Possessing a Gun License

May 28, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that he has proposed legislation that would help ensure that only law-abiding individuals are able to obtain and retain firearms licenses.

This legislation, which was delivered to the Legislature today, will close gaps in New York law that may allow persons to obtain or retain firearms licenses even though they are barred by federal law from possessing those weapons. This includes requiring a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check every three or five years for gun licensees and dealers.    » read more »

Funds will strengthen victim services and bolster criminal justice programs across Indiana

May 19, 2009 -- Washington – Senator Evan Bayh today announced that Indiana will receive more than $2.8 million in funds to prevent violence against women under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) in Indianapolis will receive the funds from the Recovery Act STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ). According to the ICJI, the funds will allow local jurisdictions in Indiana to hire more victim advocates and to create more training opportunities for police officers, prosecutors and other victim service providers.    » read more »

Will Strengthen Victim Services and Create Jobs; Department of Justice Awards Funding to Hire and Retain Criminal Justice Personnel to Respond to Violent Crimes Against

May 18, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- United States Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced the United States Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) will allocate $7,374,913 to New York State under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall announced last week that the New Mexico Crime Victims Reparation Commission is set to receive $1.22 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help combat violent crimes against women.

“The funding released today will help support families whose lives have been touched by domestic violence, and holds abusers accountable for their criminal actions,” Bingaman said.

“Every time a violent act is committed against a woman, the devastating impacts are lasting and widespread,” said Udall. “Incidents of rape, domestic violence and stalking are never acceptable, and this funding will be used to crack down on these inexcusable acts within our communities.”    » read more »

May 11, 2009 -- The FBI today released preliminary statistics indicating that 41 of our nation’s law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2008. By region, 20 of the victim officers were killed in the South, nine in the Midwest, nine in the West, and three in the Northeast. The number of officers feloniously killed was 17 fewer than in 2007.    » read more »

Legislation seeks to reduce supply of illegal guns, increase penalties and comply with federal requirements

BOSTON– Wednesday, May 6, 2009 – Continuing Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s efforts to reduce gun violence and strengthen public safety, Public Safety Secretary Kevin M. Burke today announced that the Patrick-Murray Administration has filed a bill to give police and prosecutors more tools to tackle illegal gun use and make the Commonwealth a safer place to live, work, and raise families.    » read more »

February 2, 2009 -- According to the 2009 National Gang Threat Assessment released by the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), approximately one million gang members belonging to more than 20,000 gangs were criminally active in the U.S. as of September 2008. The assessment was developed through analysis of available federal, state, and local law enforcement information; 2008 NDIC National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) data; and verified open source information.    » read more »

4-06-2008 -- Geneva (ICRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is significantly stepping up its humanitarian relief work in Somalia to respond to the deepening crisis there.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis face life-threatening food and water shortages due to the escalating armed conflict and the effects of the recent severe drought in central Somalia.

Somalia, April 2008: Photo by Feinstein International Center (CC)

High inflation and the worldwide rise in commodity prices, especially for key imports such as food and fuel, are aggravating the situation.    » read more »

June 3, 2007 -- Raleigh -- Reports of crime across North Carolina rose by 0.1 percent in 2007 while violent crime dropped by 0.7 percent, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper announced today.

“While no level of crime is acceptable, law enforcement’s work to keep the rate of violent crime down is much needed,” Cooper said. “But as any cop on the beat will tell you, when the economy goes down, crime goes up, and we’re troubled to see even a small increase in North Carolina’s overall crime rate."

The overall rate of index crime per 100,000 persons in North Carolina increased 0.1 percent compared to 2006.    » read more »